Queen

An Indian film. Rani lives in Delhi. The wedding preparations are done; the house is decorated, the relatives have come and everything is as planned. The groom arrives the day before and says he has changed his mind. The reason is plain: he lived in London, he changed, and Rani no longer suits him. Rani shuts herself in her room. Then she makes a decision: she will use the ticket bought for the honeymoon and go alone. She reaches Paris. She does not know the city, cannot quite speak the language, and the first days go badly. She meets a woman working at the hotel; Vijayalakshmi shows her the city and lives a life outside all of Rani's habits. Then she goes on to Amsterdam. She stays in a shared room with three men, which at first seems terrible to her. From there the film advances in small steps: eating alone for the first time, objecting, taking a job, saying no. What the narrative is interested in is not revenge but measure: Rani proves nothing to anybody; she simply sees that what she knew about herself was wrong. The fiancé does come back, and the answer the film gives him sets its whole position. Kangana Ranaut plays Rani, and the part was taken as a turning point in her career. Rajkummar Rao and Lisa Haydon are in the cast. Vikas Bahl directed. Who it is for: anyone who likes character-centred Indian films and travel narratives. Who it is not for: anyone expecting a fast story; the film wanders and the plot is secondary.